Cooling Presence
by Niki Bogwater
Summary: Oneshot. Malon and Link reunite after seven years apart as Link nurses her back to health. Just some random fluffiness. A little twist on the original story, but it was fun to write. Read and Review, please. :3


_Everything is burning. My body is flaming beneath my skin. Everything hurts. My muscles ache and burn as I heft the heavy bucket. I collapse in the mud, milk spilling everywhere. I can't do this. But I have to. I have to get up. The fever pounds within my ears, and I want to cry, but I'm so tired. There is no one to go to, no one who will hold me in cool arms and stroke my sweat-drenched hair. Thunder rolls in hollow tones far beyond the mountains, yet the sky maintains its burning yellow hue. The sun is setting on the scene without a glance in my direction. Lazy birds sing in time to the thunder, not fearing the approach of rain, because they know it won't come. Not when I need it so much._

_Nothing will come._

_No one will help._

_Please, just make it all end..._

*** * * * ***  
Malon clawed her way back to consciousness. She had to work...she had to wake up...her eyelids screamed obscene things at her as she forced them open. Her stomach felt like there was a rock sitting in it, and the cool mud had long since caked against her hot skin and dried, scratchy and irritating. She felt something slip beneath her back. She couldn't see anything through her clouded vision, and had since given into the pleadings of her heavy eyelids. Something wrapped around her legs, lifting her gently. Something cool touched her face and cradled her head.

Her first semi-conscious thought, which managed to weakly pierce the constant droning in her head, was that Ingo had returned. But this didn't feel anything like being beaten to a bloody pulp for spilling the milk. Her heavy head found sanctuary against a warm shoulder. She moaned, soaking in the meager comfort, fully expecting it to end within seconds. A lilting, velvety voice invaded her buzzing consciousness, oddly familiar.

"You will be alright," it said softly, something buried within it that tickled her memories. Something deep within that voice rang with familiarity to her. But she drifted back into feverish sleep before she could identify the owner.

A musty smell tickled her nose, dragging her back into the uncomfortable world of reality. She shifted, her irritated skin basking in the comfort of old, cool sheets. She cracked one eye open. Her old room...it had remained untouched for all of the five years she had journeyed through her own personal Hell. She was grateful for the smooth sheets, not yet dampened by her fevered sweating.

A comforting chill shot down her spine as a cold, wet cloth was pressed gently to her pounding forehead, soothing the several cuts and bruises she had collected this past week. She groaned quietly as she shivered. She felt a small rush of cool air as a soft quilt was draped over her. She forced her burning eyelids wide open. She had to know who had saved her.

Her first rational thought was that she must be delusional. That was the only explanation for how she was seeing those startling crystal-blue eyes, the floppy fringe of shining golden-blonde hair, and the familiar soft smile that he always used to give her when they were younger. He answered her questioning gaze by lifting a gentle hand to her cheek and softly touching it, brushing away a lock of sticky hair. She could feel him. He was real.

He brain squealed so many things to her at once it made her own head hurt even worse. Why was he here? Where had he gone? Why hadn't he come back sooner? But her dry, sore throat only managed a small croak.

"Link...?"

He simply nodded, lifting the wet cloth from her forehead and ringing it out over the wash basin, soaking it in cold water again for a moment before returning it to its place.

"But...Ingo..." Her attempted warning dissipated in a coughing fit. She had to get him away from here...Ingo would be back from the tavern any minute now...Link brushed her cheek again, sympathy hovering behind his clear eyes as he waited for her to catch her breath again. "You...can't stay...he'll..." Malon rasped.

"Shh...Everything will be okay, I promise..." he whispered softly, placing a soothing kiss on her hot cheek. "Just rest..."

"Link...?"

"Yes?"

"Promise you..." She paused to cough for a moment. "...you won't leave me." It wasn't a request. It wasn't a question. It was a plea. She honestly couldn't bear it if he left her again for another seven years. Not after this. She was begging.

"I promise," he answered softly. "Now go back to sleep. Everything will be alright."

There would be time for explanations later. She was going to get better. Link was back to fix everything. She wasn't sure how she knew that, she just sort of...did. It didn't matter how tall he'd gotten, what had happened to him or her in the past seven years, or even why he had come back. What mattered was that he was right there, right now.

And as Malon drifted off to sleep, she knew in her heart that she would wake up to a brighter future.

_Fin._

**A/N: Yes, it's ANOTHER Malink. I never get tired of them. Anyways, this was just a oneshot that came to me this evening as I was contemplating the meaning of life and avoiding reading "The Last of the Mohicans" for school (most boring book ever written, by the way). I wasn't feeling very well this evening, so I started writing my feelings out, and then this thing just kinda morphed out of it (It's aliiiiiiive!). Anyhoo, reviews are nice. I like reviews...yesssss, my preciousssss...send ussss the reviewsssssss...**

**I'm totally NOT insane, really. XD**

**Ciao, **

**-"Niki Bogwater."**


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